With January having come to an end, gaming regulators in states across the US are revealing reports indicating how much in revenues were earned in categories such as poker and casino games. Operators hope to see an increase in year-over-year earnings as a sign that players are continuing to visit and enjoy their favorite games. In Maryland, poker revenues dropped quite a bit for the month of January, indicating that players are not hitting the felt as they normally would.
Gaming regulators in Maryland reported that for January 2018, the four operating poker rooms of the state earned $3.7 million. This was a decrease of 5.1% when compared to the $3.9 million earned in the same month in 2017. It is important to note that the poker market in Maryland has grown quite a bit in the past few years. In late 2016, MGM National Harbor opened, which gave the market a new poker room in which to generate funds.
The largest poker room in operation within the state can be found at Maryland Live. This casino offers a 52 table poker room and often hosts major events and poker series. MGM National Harbor is next in line with 39 tables within their poker room while Horseshoe Casino Baltimore offers 25 tables and Hollywood Casino Perryville has a much smaller 8 table poker room.
When reviewing poker earnings on a yearly basis, the state is doing quite well. In 2016, just over $35 million was earned. In 2017, the state brought in $44.5 million which is a 25% increase from the previous year. So, while earnings are a bit down for last month, the state is sure to see an increase or continue on an even keel within the months ahead. It will be interesting to compare results over the next few months to see if the poker rooms are still maintaining success or entering into a new slump.